She looked at the information on the panel and quickly formed a judgment in her mind.
‘The current era should be a period of large-scale anomaly invasion.’
‘That’s why the Great Wall defenses have suffered heavy damage and need repair.’
‘The Great Wall, the Garrison Army… these are from Chinese history. That means this is a Civilization Projection-type exam paper, right?’
Su Fu recalled information about Civilization Projection exam papers. Although human history develops linearly and time can only move forward, anomalies do not follow linear time rules.
They can intercept any fragment of the timeline, thus generating a large number of dungeons related to the past, present, and future.
In the end, anomalies only try to copy and imitate human civilization. The dungeon is merely a projection of civilization, not reality.
‘So the entire map should be a dungeon derived by the anomaly from this broken section of the Great Wall.’
‘And my identity is a new recruit who just joined three months ago, and I still have to repair the wall.’
‘Besides that, there are character relationships: Meng Erya, Li Shitou…’
‘They really went all out on the realism.’
‘Squad leader…’ Su Fu recalled the information. In the military, five men made a squad, and a leader of ten was a squad leader. A hundred made a centurion.
‘That means Meng Erya is at least a small officer.’
‘Another important point is the unlimited revivals.’
‘It seems like this is not only a Civilization Projection-type dungeon but also layered with a cycle mechanic? You can challenge it repeatedly?’
‘If I can’t clear it, or I fail at a key point… am I going to be stuck repeating this experience forever?’
The revival setting didn’t make her feel relieved at all. On the contrary, it indirectly confirmed the dungeon’s difficulty.
It meant the System thought she would definitely need to die a few times before she could figure out a way to clear it.
‘As for the specific difficulty…’ Su Fu thought to herself, ‘it depends on how big a threat the first anomaly invasion is.’
She figured that would give her a rough idea of the overall dungeon difficulty.
Based on the System’s usual habits, there should be a “safe period” for exploring the environment right now.
She stood up, stretched her somewhat stiff body, and prepared to see what the Yanmen Pass garrison camp actually looked like.
Before that, she opened the co-op channel.
But only the [Great Wall Vigil] channel was open right now. The co-op functions for the other maps were still locked.
‘It looks like participants in the three dungeons can’t exchange information in the early stages. That makes sense—they’re still in their own exploration phases.’
Just then, she noticed the total number of people displayed in the upper right corner of the channel: one hundred twenty-five.
Su Fu raised an eyebrow slightly. ‘I remember there were three hundred sixty-five people in the group chat… The three maps are probably divided evenly? But the Great Wall has a few more?’
‘That means the other two maps, Foggy Orphan City and Winter Is Coming, each have one hundred twenty people.’
She chuckled bitterly.
‘This number is ominous…’
One hundred twenty-five people… against the entire Great Wall and an anomaly invasion? That was far too few.
She pushed open the door. A gust of air mixed with sand and faint cooking smoke hit her face.
But at the same time, the camp felt much more lively and bustling.
Low adobe houses were scattered in an irregular pattern. Soldiers in the same coarse cloth uniforms walked by in a hurry from time to time.
“Yo, Su lass, you’re awake? You were on patrol last night, how’d you sleep today?” A bearded man carrying a shovel grinned at her.
“Not bad.” She responded instinctively, and the System’s info identification automatically popped up.
[Zhao Tieshan, veteran beacon tower soldier. Skilled with a spear, excellent drinker.]
“Su little sister, morning! I just boiled some rice porridge. Want a bowl to warm your stomach?” A big aunt from the next barracks poked her head out, holding a clay bowl, steam rising from it.
“No thanks, I’m not hungry yet.”
[Niu Dashen, camp cook. Skilled in cooking, very protective of Su Changying.]
Just then, a tall, thin girl walked up quickly. She had a sweatband tied around her head and was carrying a wooden bucket full of mortar.
“Changying, it’s your turn to go repair the east wall today. Don’t dawdle. If you keep slacking off, the work won’t get done!”
[Meng Erya, recruit squad leader. Cold on the outside, warm on the inside, quite protective of her subordinates. Fastest wall-mason in the entire camp.]
Su Fu didn’t resist and followed her.
‘That’s also my mission objective. Good, I don’t have to go looking for it myself.’
She followed Meng Erya through the camp, twisting and turning, until the view suddenly opened up before her.
It was the real Great Wall.
An endless dragon stretched across the vast world, winding and twisting along the mountains, like the earth’s raised spine.
The wind howled from the far north; the flags on the beacon towers fluttered loudly.
She suddenly knew what the sobbing sound she had heard was—it was the wind passing through the towering city walls, like the mournful cry of a dragon.
This was a miracle built by human labor, and a monument to humanity’s resistance against foreign enemies.
But now, this majestic Great Wall, which had once made countless foreign tribes hesitate, was covered in scars. Nearly a third of the wall had collapsed, revealing the rammed earth and gravel inside.
“What are you standing there for? Catch!” Meng Er’ya threw a chisel and urged, “Get to work quickly.”
She was clearly already used to such scenes. Picking up a heavy hammer and several wedges, she began working with a clatter.
Her movements were practiced. First, she used wedges to flatten the edges of irregular stones, then called Su Fu and other garrison soldiers to work together, using coarse ropes and levers to lift the huge stone slabs onto the damaged wall with difficulty.
Then they filled the gaps, repeating the process tirelessly. Just repairing a single brick required such great effort and time.
And it was these insignificant bricks, one after another, that ultimately built this miracle spanning ten thousand miles.
She looked around. No gods, no divine power, only countless people like Meng Er’ya.
Had the gods descended at this moment? Probably not. This was also a “dark age” when gods had not yet descended in large numbers.
Humans fought disaster using the most primitive methods.
The garrison soldiers hammered wedges with clatter; women formed long lines passing baskets filled with earth; teenagers chanted work songs as they pulled ropes, dragging thousand-pound stone slabs inch by inch up the wall. Sweat dripped into the brick crevices, palms were worn bloody, but no one stopped.
This was a war of mortals. And the Great Wall was being reborn inch by inch in their hands.
Su Fu didn’t hesitate any longer. She imitated the others’ movements and joined the work of repairing the Great Wall.
’Before the epics of gods descending and saving the world that later generations would praise, were humans really just lambs waiting to be slaughtered, hoping for the gods’ mercy? No, of course not. At least Chinese civilization never was.’
Countless ordinary people attempted to use their own hands to rebuild that wall symbolizing protection and hope, in order to resist the unknown, world-destroying anomalous invasion!
She reached out to touch the rough bricks. The tips of her fingers felt a coarse texture; the mortar was still wet, with a damp earthy smell.
But even if the Great Wall were fully repaired, could it stop the anomalies?
Just then, a commotion came from the side—”I won’t repair it!”
Su Fu turned to look and couldn’t help raising an eyebrow. That should be another test taker pulled into the dungeon, currently arguing fiercely with a supervising soldier.
He wore an ill-fitting coarse cloth uniform, his expression carrying an arrogance and impatience that didn’t belong to this era.
“Repairing this is useless!” He waved his hand, divine power surging, and swung directly at the half-built wall in front of him. Boom— A dull sound, and the wall collapsed with a roar.
The surrounding crowd erupted in uproar.
“Lin Zhao! What… what are you doing?! Do you have any idea that just to build that section, Old Wang and the others worked all day without even a sip of water!”
“Building this is completely useless!” the test taker named Lin Zhao shouted angrily. “You have no idea how terrifying the anomalies are! Those things can’t be stopped by this crappy stone wall!”
“Even if you repair the entire Great Wall like an iron bucket, it won’t stop their invasion! It’s all a waste of time!”
Su Fu roughly understood this test taker’s thinking. For these test takers accustomed to divine powers and abilities, personally moving bricks and repairing the wall was a complete waste of time.
She opened the online channel, and sure enough, it was full of complaints:
[What a crappy map! Sent me straight back to ancient times! It’s a war model from how many years ago!]
[Still ground warfare! This is too archaic!]
[Humans have been in the Star Sea for years, what’s the point of repairing some old Great Wall? Will repair even be useful?]
[I’m not doing this mission. Whoever wants to do it, go ahead!]
[I’m going to find a place to cultivate and improve my strength. When the anomalies come, I’ll fight directly. Isn’t that better than moving bricks here?]
Seeing this, Su Fu shook her head. ’Would Shen Yan issue meaningless tasks? Of course not. There must be some deeper meaning.’
But she was curious how things would develop. After all, this was the Great Wall, the territory of Chinese civilization. Their current identities were garrison soldiers, and a soldier’s duty was to obey orders.
Lin Zhao was publicly inciting people to disobey military orders and sabotage fortifications. What would happen?
He was still spitting as he tried to persuade the garrison soldiers and supervisors: “I have blueprints for advanced weapons! If you listen to me, we can build powerful cannons! One shot can blow up a small hill! And those metal birds that can automatically track enemies!”
His tone carried a sense of superiority, but the crowd looked bewildered, clearly not understanding him at all.
Seeing this, Lin Zhao seemed to realize his high-tech theories were too advanced for these ancients. He quickly changed his approach: “Well… you all believe in gods, right? Come, I’ll teach you a quicker, more effective method!”
“We can go and pray to the true gods for power! As long as our faith is devout enough, the gods will definitely bestow divine power and protect us! Human power is too weak; we must seek the gods’ help.”
“Of course… to show our sincerity, we might need to sacrifice some… things…”
As soon as he said this, the crowd’s expressions changed, and they instinctively stepped back several paces.
“Is this guy crazy? What nonsense! Sacrifice? Is he trying to harm us with evil magic? Is he possessed by a demon? Should we tie him up and douse him with black dog blood?”
Just then, the crowd parted. A handsome young general walked over.
He appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a tall and straight figure, silver armor and white robe, his eyes clear as stars.
Lin Zhao perhaps thought this young general might be more open to new ideas, and quickly explained: “General! Let me tell you, those anomalies—”
The young general interrupted him, looking at the mess on the ground: “This wall, did you destroy it?”
Lin Zhao paused, but he wasn’t afraid—after all, this was just a mortal. “So what if I did? I’m telling the truth. Repairing this thing is useless!”
The young general’s eyes turned cold. “Military orders are ironclad. Those who destroy fortifications and undermine morale are considered traitors. As for the anomalies you speak of… we have guarded this frontier for generations. Do you think we don’t know their danger? But precisely because of that, we must not yield an inch and must do everything in our power. And as for what you just said… sacrifice? Sacrifice what? Sacrifice to which god?”
Lin Zhao started to speak, but the young general continued calmly, “Spreading confusion, demoralizing the army, disobeying military orders—deserves execution.”
Lin Zhao exploded, completely enraged by this ignorance and lack of understanding: “Deserves execution?! Just because I spoke a few truths? Can a general arbitrarily take a life? Fine! In that case, I’ll challenge you, this so-called general, first!”
As he spoke, he suddenly raised his hand, divine power surging, and a scorching light shot toward the young general.
However, fast as he was, the general was faster!
Just as Lin Zhao began to move, the general had already rushed forward. No one saw his movement; they only felt a blur before their eyes, a silver streak like a shooting star!
Pfft— A slight sound of blade piercing flesh. All of Lin Zhao’s movements stopped abruptly. The next second, a head flew into the air.
Almost at the same moment, the first death notification popped up in the [Great Wall Vigil] online channel:
[Test Taker Lin Zhao has died. Resurrection cooldown in progress (24h countdown)]
The surrounding soldiers, after a moment of shock, immediately erupted in thunderous cheers! “General Huo! General Huo!” The fervent voices proved how illustrious this young general’s reputation was in the army.
But Su Fu was stunned, ‘Wait, his surname is Huo? A young general? And with such terrifying strength and prestige…’
She shifted her gaze slightly and saw the character hint from Shen Yan:
[Huo Qubing, acting supreme commander of the Great Wall Defense Army, natural military genius, unmatched in horseback archery, expert in swift attacks and raids, divine in strategy. Reputation: Extremely High (Legendary)]
Huo Qubing!
The young war god who sealed the wolf’s lair!
At seventeen, he led 800 light cavalry deep into the desert, slaying 2,000 enemies.
At nineteen, he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Champion, annihilating 40,000 enemies in the Hexi campaign.
At twenty-one, the decisive battle in the northern desert, sealing the wolf’s lair, establishing the century-long pattern of Han-Xiongnu relations.
Just then, Huo Qubing suddenly looked at her.
Su Fu’s heart skipped a beat. ‘What’s going on? Why is he looking at me? My performance just now shouldn’t have been a problem, right? No mistakes… Ah… wait! The young general’s eyes were bright, completely different from the coldness before.’
Su Fu remembered—didn’t she have a buff from the First Emperor?
[Title: Great Wall Watcher] When encountering famous Chinese generals or strategists, automatically triggers special dialogue options, a chance to gain additional support!
Before Huo Qubing could say anything, urgent horn sounds suddenly came from the distant beacon tower—
Woo— Beacon fires shot into the sky, black smoke billowing.
The anomalous invasion had arrived!